Gun Violence in America Strikes Again

Think about this: 36 Americans have been killed in just one month in the U.S. These shootings are not restricted to big cities but affect medium and small communities as well. The underlying cause is that we have lost our moral compass in America.

This has got to stop. Gun violence in the U.S. has skyrocketed. The latest shootings at a FedEx warehouse in Indianapolis last night has left eight dead and at least five other people hospitalized with injuries, including one in critical condition. The gunman apparently killed himself. The motive for the shooting is unclear.

The shooting in Indianapolis follows one in Atlanta on March 16 when eight people were killed by a gunman at three Atlanta-area massage businesses in attacks targeting Asian Americans.

About one week later, on March 22, a shooter at a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado, killed ten people, including a police officer who was the first to respond to the scene.

On March 31, a gunman killed four people killed four people and critically wounded a fifth at a Southern California office building.

A week later, on April 7, former NFL player Phillip Adams shot six people. In this case, Adams’ brain is now being examined for possible degenerative disease that has been shown to cause violent mood swings and other cognitive disorders in some athletes and members of the military.

What causes so much gun violence in America? We do not see it in other countries. Some would say it is due to the relatively easy access to guns. Others blame it on mental problems. The bottom line is the U.S. is morphing into an uncivilized society right before our eyes.

Are there any fixes for the problem? That is hard to say. However, stricter gun laws must be legislated by Congress sooner rather than later. Even if tightening these laws does no good, we must try. We have to say that we have taken steps to halt gun violence. No one should die from gunshots in the U.S. It leaves families devastated and communities torn apart.

Mandatory mental health education in our schools is also a must commencing in the first grade and continuing through high school. What is the purpose of an education if not to educate citizens about the human cost of gun violence?

America is a violent country because we no longer follow core ethical standards in America. Right and wrong has become a question of how you define it rather than long-standing ethical values such as civility and responsibility. We no longer care about ethics. That train has already left the station.

I blame our political leaders mostly for this. They are self-serving and oblivious to their own ethical responsibilities to serve as positive role models in society. Political leaders such as FDR, JFK, and Ronald Reagan must be in turning in their graves. These were role models for our young kids to emulate whether you agree with their politics or not.

Posted by Dr. Steven Mintz, The Ethics Sage, on April 16, 2021. You can sign up for his newsletter and learn more about his activities at: https://www.stevenmintzethics.com/. Follow him on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/StevenMintzEthics and on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/ethicssage.